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Universal Worklist with SAP NetWeaver Portal

Darren Hague

Contents
Foreword ......................................................... 1 Introduction ................................................. What Is Workflow? .................................. What Is Universal Worklist? .................... What You Will Learn ............................... A Note on the Examples .......................... Acknowledgements ................................. 2 2.1 Standard Universal Worklist Configuration
5 7 7 7 8 9 9 11

Portal iViews and Pages ........................... 28 Web Dynpro Applications ........................ 30 2.5 3 3.1 Summary ........................................................ 31 Customizing the Universal Worklist ............ 33 Custom Attributes and Views ........................ 33 Custom Attributes .................................... 33 Wizard-Based Configuration .................... 34 Direct XML Configuration ........................ 36 Adding Notes ........................................... 39 3.2 Alternative Action Handlers .......................... 39 User Decision Handler ............................. 39 Terminating Event Handler ...................... 40 Updating Container Handler .................... 41 Function Module Action Handler ............ 41 Making Decisions in Bulk ......................... 43 3.3 Custom Work Item Handlers ........................ 44 Workshop 1: Web Dynpro Application Item Handler ............................................ 45 Workshop 2: Java iView Application Item Handler ............................................ 57 3.4 4 4.1 Summary ........................................................ 68 Other UWL Workflow Types ....................... 69 Ad-hoc Workflow .......................................... 69 Standalone Task ........................................ 69 Task List .................................................... 70 Workflow-Related Task (Subprocess) ...... 72 Request for Feedback ............................... 73 Request for Nomination ........................... 74 4.2 Publishing Workflow ..................................... 74 Configuring an Approval Workflow ......... 75 Running Through the Publishing Process ...................................................... 76

Connecting SAP Systems .............................. 11 Portal System Definitions ........................ 11 UWL System Definitions .......................... 13 SAP Authorizations and Prerequisites Needed for UWL ..................................... 14 Registering Item Types ............................. 15 Configuring Alerts .................................... 15 The Result ................................................ 15

2.2

Overview of UWL Configuration .................. 16 iView Properties ....................................... 17 Wizards .................................................... 17 XML Configuration .................................. 17 Transaction SWFVISU in the SAP Business Workflow System .............. 17

2.3

Changing the Basic Look of UWL ................. 18 Changing the Look of the Worklist ......... 18 Which Buttons and Links Are Shown ...... 22 Which Details Are Shown ........................ 22 Attached Business Objects ...................... 23 Substitution .............................................. 23 Debugging Information ........................... 24

2.4

How Work Items Are Launched ................... 24 SAP GUI Win, Web, or Java ................ 25 Nonportal URLs ....................................... 27

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Contents

4.3

Guided Procedures ........................................ 79 Process Overview ..................................... 80 Create an Input Form Callable Object ..... 81 Create an Approval Callable Object ........ 82 Create Email Templates for Approval and Rejection ........................................... 82 Create an RFC Callable Object ................ 84 Callable Object to Get User Info ............. 86 Business Logic Objects ............................. 87 Create Actions from Objects ................... 88 Compose Process from Actions ............... 88 Testing the Guided Procedure ................. 92 Integrating Guided Procedures with UWL 95

6 6.1

Next-Generation Workflow ......................... 113 Business Processes and Enterprise Services ... 113 Standards for Web Services: SOAP, WSDL, and UDDI ..................................... 113 Business Process Modeling Standards: BPML, BPEL, and BPEL4People ................ 114

6.2

Workshop: Workflow on a BlackBerry .......... 114 Setting Up a BlackBerry Test Environment ............................................. 115 Check Access to the Web Dynpro Application from a BlackBerry .................. 117 Configure Workflow Step to Send Email ................................................ 117 Customize the Workflow Email to Contain a Link to the Web Dynpro Application ............................................... 118 Test the Workflow Email to the BlackBerry ................................................. 119 Configure Single Sign-on from BlackBerry to SAP ..................................... 120

4.4

Third-Party Workflow ................................... 96 Getting Started ......................................... 96 Getting Items from the Back End ............ 97 Configuring Item Display ......................... 98 Handling Actions ...................................... 98 Deploying and Testing ............................. 99

4.5 5 5.1

Summary ....................................................... 99 6.3 UWL Behind the Scenes .............................. 101 Troubleshooting UWL ................................... 101 UWL Support Information ....................... 101 UWL Logs ................................................. 102

SAP NetWeaver Voice ................................... 123 How to Get Started with SAP NetWeaver Voice .............................. 123 Workflow Integration ............................... 124 Authentication .......................................... 124 SAP Documentation ................................. 124

5.2

UWL Performance Tuning ............................. 104 Delta-Pull Mechanism .............................. 104 Roles and System Configuration Groups
105

6.4

Duet: Business Processes in Microsoft Outlook ......................................... 124 Duet Workflow Scenarios ........................ 125 Duet Architecture and Infrastructure Requirements ........................................... 126

Execution Mode, Caching, and Pooling ... 107 5.3 How UWL Talks to SAP Business Workflow 108 Register System ........................................ 108 Display UWL Without Delta-Pull Enabled .................................................... 108 Display UWL with Delta-Pull Enabled ..... 108 Substitutions ............................................ 109 Display Work Item Details ....................... 109 Action Handlers ....................................... 109 5.4 Technical Considerations .............................. 109 SAP Business Workflow ........................... 110 SAP GUI for HTML (WebGUI) ................. 110 SAP GUI for Java (JavaGUI) ...................... 110 SAP GUI for Windows ............................. 111 5.5 Summary ....................................................... 111 A.4 A.3 A.1 A.2 A 6.5

Summary ........................................................ 126 Setting Up a UWL Development Environment .................................................. 127 SAP NetWeaver 7.0 ABAP Trial Version ........ 127 Setting Up an Organizational Plan for the Notification of Absence Example ............ 132 Configure the SAP Notification of Absence Workflow ....................................................... 133 SAP NetWeaver 7.0 Java Trial Version .......... 134

2 Galileo Press 2008. All rights reserved.

Contents

B B.1 B.2 B.3 B.4

References and Further Reading ................. 136 SAP Documentation ...................................... 136 SAP Community Network Content .............. 138 Useful SAP Notes .......................................... 138 SAP Business Workflow and UWL Function Modules ......................................... 139

Source Code for Web Dynpro Action Handler .......................................................... 143 Index .............................................................. 149

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2 Standard Universal Worklist Configuration

In this chapter, youre going to learn two things. First, youll see how easy it is to get the Universal Worklist (UWL) working with an SAP Business Workflow back end (see Section 2.1). Next, youll see how UWL is configured (see Section 2.2) and how to use this configuration to change the UWLs layout (see Section 2.3) and to control what happens when users click on a work item (see Section 2.4). These make up the most common activities on any project involving UWL. The nerve center for UWL configuration is in the SAP NetWeaver Portal (called the portal from now on) at
System Administration System Configuration Universal Worklist & Workflow Universal Worklist Administration (see Figure 2.1).

and you shouldnt change the system types of these entries.

2.1

Connecting SAP Systems

Most of the time, the first thing you will want to do with UWL is to connect it to an ABAP-based system so you can bring work items from SAP Business Workflow through to the portal. This is particularly important when you are using the portal to access more than one SAP systems workflow users dont want to have to log into one system (SAP SRM) to approve purchase requisitions and then log in to another system (SAP ERP) to approve the resulting invoices for payment. In this section, youll see how to set up connections to a workflow system and find out some of the things you have to look out for when youre configuring the system. Throughout this section, well set up a connection to client 100 of a SAP Business Workflow system NSP (a SAP NetWeaver Trial Version instance), which is system number 00 and whose web interface is accessed with the URL http://workflow.fortybeans.com:8000.

Figure 2.1

Where to Find UWL Configuration in the

SAP NetWeaver Portal

Portal System Definitions You need to create an entry in the Portal System Landscape1 entry for each back end system that you want to get work items from by going to the menu System
Administration System Configuration System Landscape; right-clicking in the Portal Content Directory

UWL comes configured out of the box with two connected systems, both based in the portal. The AdHocSystem entry refers to the Ad Hoc workflow feature of the

portal (see Section 4.1), which allows users to assign tasks to each other, and the ActionInbox entry refers to the workflow used for the approval of documents in the portals Knowledge Management (KM) component (see Section 4.2). These system entries are special cases and hardcoded; you cant create new systems with these types,

(PCD) on the desired location for the system entry; and selecting New System (from template), as shown in Figure 2.2.

1 Note that the Portal System Landscape is not the same as the SAP NetWeaver System Landscape Directory (SLD).

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Standard Universal Worklist Configuration

If you have configured the UWL to launch back end task handlers using the SAP GUI for Windows (see SAP GUI Win, Web, or Java in Section 2.4), and your users access the back end system via a SAProuter connection, then you will probably want to use a SAP
system using connection string template.

Connector Settings Figure 2.3 to Figure 2.5 show examples of the minimum information necessary to establish a connection for each of the three templates. Here are the settings you need to use3:
Figure 2.2 Create a System Definition in the Portals System Landscape

SAP system using dedicated application server Application host: The host name or IP address of

the SAP Business Workflow system, as seen from There are three types of system entry you can use: SAP system using dedicated application server SAP system with load balancing SAP system using connection string The property categories you need to fill in to work with UWL are Connector (which is used to get the work items from the back end), ITS (to launch back end-based task handlers using the default SAP GUI for HTML or IACs [Internet Application Component]2), and WAS (for task handlers using BSP (Business Server Pages) technology or Web Dynpro). Well start by looking at the different ways of setting up connectors (depending on the type of system entry you choose) and then well move on to setting up ITS and WAS property categories.
Figure 2.3 Minimal Settings for a Dedicated Application Server

the portal server.


SAP Client: The workflow systems client number. SAP System ID (SID) SAP System Number System Type: Usually SAP_R3 unless this is a BW or

CRM (customer relationship management) system, in which case SAP_BW or SAP_CRM, respectively.

Choosing the Right Kind of System Definition The template you choose primarily depends on how the portal to back end communication works for fetching work items. The simplest one to set up for development and testing purposes is usually the SAP
system using dedicated application server template. SAP system with load balancing: Group: The login group (of application servers) to

use
Message Server: The host name or IP address of the

SAP Business Workflow systems message server, as seen from the portal server.
SAP Client: The workflow systems client number. SAP System ID (SID) SAP System Number

For productive use, the SAP system with load balancing template will often be the most suitable.

2 You can find more information on IACs in the SAP Help Portal at ITS Administrators Guide Internet Transaction Server (ITS) Internet Application Component (IAC).

3 You may need to talk to your friendly local Basis administrator to get all of these settings.

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2.1

Connecting SAP Systems

System Type: Usually SAP_R3 unless this is a BW or

CRM system, in which case SAP_BW or SAP_CRM, respectively.

Figure 2.6 Settings for ITS

The Host Name field is the host name and port of the SAP Business Workflow server as seen by the users browser, as opposed to the Connector setting discussed previously, which is the name of the server as seen from the
Figure 2.4 Minimal Settings for Load Balancing

portal server. The Protocol field determines whether the users browser uses HTTP or HTTPS as the protocol to access the SAP Business Workflow server. An HTTPS connection is strongly recommended for production situations, for security reasons.

SAP system using connection string: Connection String to Application: The connection

string to use to get to the workflow system via a SAP router.


4

SAP Client: The workflow systems client number. SAP System ID (SID) SAP System Number System Type: Usually SAP_R3 unless this is a BW or

CRM system, in which case SAP_BW or SAP_CRM, respectively.


Figure 2.7 Settings for Web AS

The only field that differs between the two categories is the Path field, which is set to /sap/bc for the ITS Path and /sap for the Web AS Path (although it turns out that in most cases, the values of Path are actually ignored by the portal). UWL System Definitions
Figure 2.5 Minimal Settings for Connection String

Now youve set up the definition of the system you want to connect to, the next step is to make UWL aware of it. The first step is to assign a system alias, or nickname for the system. If you dont do this, then the system wont be available for selection when youre setting up UWL. System aliases are what the portal components use to refer to system entries. 1. To assign a system alias to a portal system, select System Aliases from the Display drop-down menu when

ITS and WAS settings After the Connector properties are correctly defined, then you need to configure the web access sections. SAP GUI for HTML and IACs use the Internet Transaction Server
(ITS) section (see Figure 2.6); Web Dynpro and BSP com-

ponents use the Web Application Server (Web AS) section (see Figure 2.7). These property categories are set up almost identically, using the same values for the Host
Name and Protocol fields.

youre editing that system in the portal (see Figure 2.8). This will take you to the System Alias editor.

4 See the SAP Help Portal on connection strings at SAProuter Using SAProuter Route Strings.

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Standard Universal Worklist Configuration

Figure 2.8

Selecting System Aliases from the Display Dropdown

2. In the System Alias Editor (see Figure 2.9), you need to enter at least one alias. The first alias you enter becomes the default alias5. In the example shown, the alias SAP_R3_Workflow is about to be added to a system that already has a default alias of NSP_100. Click the Save button when youre done entering aliases.
Figure 2.10 Read Permissions for the System Entry

Figure 2.9

The System Alias Editor

3. Select Permissions from the Display dropdown and make sure that end users have at least Read permissions, with the End User box checked, for the system entry in the portal (see Figure 2.10). Figure 2.10 shows the simple option of giving Everyone access; in a more restrictive security environment, you may want to be more specific about which portal roles are allowed access to the system (although even with Everyone given access, users are still restricted in what they can do in that system by the security roles assigned in the back end itself). Make sure to click the Save button when youve defined the permissions. 4. Navigate to System Administration System Configuration Universal Worklist & Workflow Universal Worklist Administration, and click on the New butFigure 2.12 UWL Systems Definition Figure 2.11 Universal Worklist Systems Screen

6. The newly defined system (SAP_R3_Workflow) will then appear in the list of UWL systems. SAP Authorizations and Prerequisites Needed for UWL Before you actually connect to the back end SAP Business Workflow system, you need to have certain items in place on that system. These are slightly different depending on whether you are using a SAP NetWeaver 2004 or a SAP NetWeaver 7.0 system:
Common Prerequisites

ton to start the process of connecting UWL to the system youve just defined (see Figure 2.11). 5. In the resulting form, enter a System Alias of the system youre connecting to UWL. Leave the Connector
Type set to WebFlowConnector, leave the other

entries at their default or empty values for now, and then click Save (see Figure 2.12).
5 The default alias is the one used for setting up User Mapping, a single sign-on method that is beyond the scope of this book.

Users need to have authorization in the SAP Business Workflow system to call Remote Function

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2.1

Connecting SAP Systems

Calls (RFC) in function groups SWRC, SDTX, and SSCV. The back end workflow system must have an active Internet Transaction Server (ITS) enabled. Workflow has been set up in the SAP Business Workflow system (transaction SWU3). Single sign-on has been set up from the portal to the SAP Business Workflow system.
SAP NetWeaver 2004 Prerequisites

2.4), then you must come back to the UWL systems list and click the Re-Register button. Configuring Alerts To configure the UWL to receive messages from the SAP Alert Framework, just create an entry in exactly the same way as described previously (you can use the same System Alias name), but choose AlertConnector instead of WebFlowConnector.

Either Content Management must be installed, or the instructions in SAP Note 702255 must be followed. Users must have authorizations to call RFCs in function group SWK1 and also to run transaction SWK1. Workplace plug-in 6.0 must be installed on the back end workflow system.
SAP NetWeaver 7.0 Prerequisites

You can find documentation on configuring the Alert Management Framework in the SAP Help Portal (http:// help.sap.com) in the category Alert Management (BCSRV-GBT-ALM).

The Result Now youve set up UWL to talk to an SAP Business Workflow system. To prove that it all works, youll want to kick off a sample workflow and see the resulting work item appear in the portal by following these steps:
1. Log in to the SAP Business Workflow system, and run

See SAP Note 941589 for the roles required by UWL administrators and end users in the workflow system. Users also need authorization to call RFCs in function group SWN_UWL_WL. Registering Item Types The final step in getting the UWL up and running is to tell it about all the different kinds of work items in the back end and what to do when a user clicks on each type of work item. The easiest way to do this is to pull down a list of task definitions from the back end system; well look at how to customize the launch behavior later in Section 2.4. The downloading of this configuration from the back end is called registration and is achieved by clicking the
Register button in the list of UWL systems, as shown in

transaction SWU3. This is the transaction used to set up the workflow system (see Appendix A for details), and assuming the system has been set up correctly, you should see a list of green ticks. Dont worry if the
Guided Procedures entry has a red cross: this is only

needed for connecting the SAP Business Workflow to Guided Procedures (more details in Chapter 4). You can see what this transaction looks like in Figure 2.14.

Figure 2.13. It may take several minutes to download the item type configuration from the back end.

Figure 2.14 Transaction SWU3 Showing a Mostly Set Up SAP Business Workflow System Figure 2.13 UWL Systems List

2. If you click on the

icon (Start verification workicon (SAP

If you make any changes in the back end, for example changing the workflow configuration or changing the UWL customization in transaction SWFVISU (see Section

flow), this will start a simple workflow. You can check

that this has worked by clicking on the

Business Workplace), which takes you to the SAP

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Standard Universal Worklist Configuration

Inbox. Select the Workflow category, and you should see a work item titled First step in workflow verification (see Figure 2.15).

tal_content/every_user/general/eu_role this will

be at Home Work Overview.


4. If everything has gone to plan, you should see a screen

that looks something like Figure 2.16, with a work item titled First step in workflow verification.

2.2

Overview of UWL Configuration

Now youve learned how to get UWL working with an SAP Business Workflow system. Before you find out how to change the appearance and behavior of UWL, lets first look at the different methods of configuration. UWL is configured using four main mechanisms: Setting property values on the UWL iView
Figure 2.15 SAP Inbox Showing the Work Item from the Verification Workflow

Using the available UWL configuration wizards Hand-editing an XML configuration file Using transaction SWFVISU in the SAP Business Workflow system The next sections look at each of these options in turn.

3. As a final step to check that everything is set up cor-

rectly, log in to the portal, and navigate to UWL. Assuming you have the Standard User role pcd:por-

Figure 2.16

UWL Showing a Work Item from a SAP Business Workflow System

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2.2 Overview of UWL Configuration

Seeing the Effect of Changes If you have an end user logged in to the portal when you are making changes to UWL configuration, that user may have to log out and log in again to see the effect of those changes.

adjusted for one specific UWL system or whether they apply to all systems (e.g., when specifying the visual layout in UWL), that is, whether the references in the file are system-specific or global in nature. You also specify whether the priority of the file is Medium (default) or
High (see Figure 2.17 for an example of the configuration

upload screen). When you register the item types from a iView Properties The default UWL iView used in the SAP-provided worksets is in the PCD at Portal Content Content Provided by
SAP End User Content Standard Portal Users iViews com.sap.coll.iviews Universal Worklist (pcd:portal_
content/com.sap.pct/every_user/general/iViews/ com.sap.coll.iviews/com.sap.netweaver.coll.uwl. uwl_iview), but if you want to change any of the proper-

back end system (see Registering Item Types in Section 2.1), this creates an XML configuration of priority Low, so your customizations will always override what was read from the back end.

ties for your own customizations, then it is highly recommended to create a delta-linked copy of this iView in a customer-specific PCD location. If you make any changes to the default UWL iView, then you will lose them the next time a support package is installed; by using a deltalinked copy, your customizations are preserved, but you will still inherit any new or changed properties that appear in a new version of the iView. Wizards There are a number of wizards to help with the following tasks: Customizing the look of the UWL main page Customizing the appearance of work items Customizing the launch behavior of work items These wizards create XML configuration files (see the next section, XML Configuration) for you, making it much simpler to do certain kinds of configuration. You can also use these generated XML files as the basis for further customization. XML Configuration Most of the detailed configuration on UWL is done by creating and uploading XML configuration files. The syntax of these files can be found in the SAP Help Portal at
Business Task Management Universal Worklist Configuration Configuration DTD.
6 You should usually upload with priority Medium (the default), leaving High for special cases (e.g., you have a Medium-level customization for all systems, but you have a specific exception for one system, which should go in as priority High). You can also use High for testing new configurations without changing the original XML file, by simply overriding it for the new settings.
Figure 2.17 Uploading a New XML Configuration

To upload a new XML configuration, navigate to System


Administration System Configuration Universal Worklist & Workflow Universal Worklist - Administration,

and then click the link Click to Administrate Item Types


and View Definitions. On the next screen, select the Upload New Configuration tab.

Fill in the name of the configuration (to ease maintenance, this should be similar to the name of the XML file), select a system if you are doing a system-specific customization, check the High Priority box if required6, and then click Upload. Transaction SWFVISU in the SAP Business Workflow System Some basic customizing of how a task is launched can be done in the SAP Business Workflow system using transaction SWFVISU (discussed in more detail in Section 2.4). Any such customizations will be downloaded to the portal when you register the item types (see Registering Item Types in Section 2.1), but like any UWL configura-

When XML configuration files are uploaded into the portal, you specify whether the task customizations are

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Standard Universal Worklist Configuration

tion downloaded from the SAP Business Workflow system, the priority of these customizations is Low, meaning that they will be overridden by any customization you carry out using the methods described previously in Section 2.2.

Click to Configure Item Types and Customize Views Using a Wizard (the link highlighted in Figure 2.18).

2.3

Changing the Basic Look of UWL

In SAP NetWeaver Portal 7.0, it has become much easier to change the look and feel of UWL than in previous releases. The underlying configuration is the same namely creating and editing entries in an XML file but now there are some wizards to generate the XML for you in some cases.
2. On the resulting page, select the option Customize the
Figure 2.18 Link to Wizard-Based Configuration

Clearing the Cache Whenever you carry out any customization of UWL, its a good idea to clear the UWL caches afterwards to make sure your configuration applies to all items. Failure to do this can lead to confusion as items appear in their pre-change state due to remaining in the cache. You can clear the caches by navigating to System
Administration System Configuration Universal Worklist & Workflow Universal Worklist - Administration and then clicking the link Cache Administration Page in the section Universal Worklist Content Configuration.

look of the UWL main page, and click Next. You will

then see the Navigation Node Configuration screen, a simulation of the UWL look and feel that allows you to modify dynamically the visibility and ordering of tabs (see Figure 2.19).

Changing the Look of the Worklist The first thing youre going to learn to change is the appearance of the list of work items. You can do this either by using the provided wizard (see the following section, Basic Configuration) or by creating a UWL XML file (see the following Section, Expert Configuration). Basic Configuration If you just want to change the ordering and visibility of the UWL tabs or columns in the default iView for all users, you can use the wizard-based configuration in the portal.
1. Navigate to System Administration System Configuration Universal Worklist & Workflow Universal Worklist Administration, look for the heading Universal Worklist Content Configuration, and click on
Figure 2.19 Wizard for Configuring UWL Navigation

For example, if you want to focus your users attention entirely on their current workflow tasks by removing the other tabs, you should select each of the tabs
Alerts, Notifications, and Tracking. 3. After selecting each tab, click the button Remove Tab From Current View. When youve removed those

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2.3

Changing the Basic Look of UWL

three tabs, click the Save and Return button. You can see the effect on UWL for the end user in Figure 2.20 and Figure 2.21.

and add new columns from those available in the dropdown list.7 If your users find the standard terminology confusing, you can even rename the column titles.
4. For each column, you can also select the alignment

(Center, Left, Right, and Justify) and the column width. For columns showing a date, you can also choose whether to show just the date, just the time, or
Figure 2.20 Before Removing Tabs

both the date and the time together, and how the date is shown (see Table 2.1).
Date Format Setting Short Appearance of Date and Time

3/14/07 9:30 PM Mar 14, 2007 9:30 PM March 14, 2007 9:34:40 PM GMT Wednesday, March 14, 2007 9:34:40 PM GMT

Figure 2.21 After Removing Tabs

Medium Long

Now that you have seen how to control which tabs are displayed, the next task is to change the columns that are displayed within each tab.
1. Go to the Navigation Node Configuration screen again
Full

Table 2.1

Date Format Settings

(see the beginning of this section for how to find it).


2. Change the layout of the work items in the list of New and In Progress Tasks (the other entries work in the

5. The next section of the customizing screen (see Figure

2.23) lets you control how the columns are sorted. You can choose up to three columns; items are sorted by the first column first, and then by the second column where there are entries with the same value for the first column, and finally by the third column if

same way). Select that row, and click the Customize


View button; this gives you a screen similar to the one

a user gets when selecting the Personalize view option, and allows many aspects of the columns and rows to be customized.
3. The first section of the customizing screen (see Figure

2.22) lets you move columns around, delete columns,

7 The list of attributes available depends on the list you are customizing and can even include attributes that you have defined. See Section 3.1 for more details.

Figure 2.22 Column Ordering, Alignment, and Size

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Standard Universal Worklist Configuration

there are entries with the same values for the first and second columns.

Figure 2.24

General Data Properties

7. The final section of the customizing screen (see Figure

2.25) lets you control whether the header and footer of the worklist are displayed. The footer contains the page up/page down navigation controls, and is usually
Figure 2.23 Defining How Columns Are Sorted

displayed. The header contains the same text as the tab name and is therefore usually not displayed.

Hint Experience shows that many users prefer work items to be sorted like their emails, with the most recent at the top (i.e., Sent, Descending as the first entry), as opposed to the default ordering, which sorts first by priority, then by due date, and finally by sent date.
8. When you have finished customizing the layout in the
Figure 2.25 Header and Footer Display

four parts of the Customize View screen, clicking Save and then Save and Return causes the portal to create a
6. The third section of the customizing screen (see Figure

new custom XML configuration file on your behalf, storing it in the portal with priority High, so that it overrides any existing configuration (see Figure 2.26). You can use this wizard just as it is, or you can use it as the basis for generating a new XML configuration file that you can then fine-tune manually using the following section, Expert Configuration, as a guide. If you do decide

2.24) lets you dictate how many work items appear per page, how often the page is refreshed (i.e., how often the back end workflow system is checked for fresh data), how long before the due date it is before items are flagged as Warning or Severe, and whether rows are shown in alternating colors, or just in one color.

Figure 2.26 New Configuration Entry, MainCombinedTaskNavNode, as Created by the Wizard

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2.3

Changing the Basic Look of UWL

to do that, then after you have downloaded the generated XML, you should delete the wizard-generated entry from the configuration list; otherwise, its priority of High will not let any of your XML customizations show. Expert Configuration When navigating to the UWL from the Home
Work Overview path (in the Standard User Role8), the tabs

corresponds to the following configuration fragment in the uwl.standard XML configuration (see Listing 2.1). As you can see, this XML fragment contains a NavigationNode element for each tab. The Tasks tab is selected

by default, determined by the iView property sap_uwl_


viewname having the default value DefaultView.

Example of UWL Navigation Tab Customizing

shown by default are determined by two properties of the UWL iView (useNavigationId and sap_uwl_viewname) and some XML configuration. The property useNavigationId on the UWL iView points to a section of the XML configuration file. In the standard iView, this property is set to the value Main and
8 This role includes the Overview page (via some worksets) at
pcd:portal_content/com.sap.pct/every_user/general/ pages/com.sap.km.pages/com.sap.km.Overview, and the Overview page includes the UWL iView pcd:portal_content/com.sap.pct/every_user/general/iViews/com.sap. coll.iviews/com.sap.netweaver.coll.uwl.uwl_iview.

For example, if you want a specialized UWL iView with only Tasks and Notifications tabs being shown and
Notifications to be selected by default, you would do

the following: 1. Copy the XML fragment for NavigationNode Main from uwl.standard.xml and paste into a new file, say uwl.customnavigation.xml. 2. Change the name property of the top-level NavigationNode to (for example) MyCustom:

<NavigationNode name="Main" view="" referenceGroup="" visible="yes" keepItemCountUpdated="no"> <NavigationNode name="CombinedTask" view="DefaultView" referenceGroup="" visible="yes" keepItemCountUpdated="no" referenceBundle="tasks"> ... </NavigationNode> <NavigationNode name="alert2" view="AlertsView" referenceGroup="" visible="yes" keepItemCountUpdated="no" referenceBundle="alerts"> ... </NavigationNode> <NavigationNode name="notification2" view="NotificationsView" referenceGroup="" visible="yes" keepItemCountUpdated="no" referenceBundle="notifications"> ... </NavigationNode> <NavigationNode name="CombinedTracking" view="ComboWorkItemRequestsView" referenceGroup="" visible="yes" keepItemCountUpdated="no" referenceBundle="tracking"> ... </NavigationNode> </NavigationNode>
Listing 2.1 Standard UWL XML Configuration for Tabs and Their Contents

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21

Standard Universal Worklist Configuration

<NavigationNode name="MyCustom" view="" referenceGroup="" visible="yes" keepItemCountUpdated="no">

exclude property set to personalize, launchSAPDetails

(see Figure 2.27).

3. Remove the XML nodes for Alerts and Tracking:


<!--NavigationNode name="alert2" view="AlertsView" referenceGroup="" visible="yes" keepItemCountUpdated="no" referenceBundle="alerts"> ... </NavigationNode-->
Action Display Text Alerts Claim Complete Complete Task Create Ad Hoc Request Create Task Decline Delete Edit Follow-up Action Name
AlertConfiguration reserve acknowledge confirm uwlTaskWizard defaultGlobalWizard decline deleteItem editItem followUp forward forwardUsers (this action is for multiple user selection) manageAttachments launchSAPAction personalize replace addmemo launchSAPDetails

Figure 2.27 SAP GUI

Removing the Ability to Personalize UWL and Launch

4. Save this file, and upload it into the portal (see XML Configuration in Section 2.2) with priority
Medium or High.

5. Create a delta-linked copy of the UWL iView in your own area of the PCD.
9

6. On your copy of the iView, set the property


useNavigationId to MyCustom and set the prop-

erty sap_uwl_viewname to NotificationsView. Now you can assign this iView to the page, workset, or role of your choice in the portal.

Which Buttons and Links Are Shown You can hide almost any of the buttons and actions in the UWL that you do not want users to see. This is done by setting the List of UWL Actions to exclude property (excludeActionList) on the UWL iView.9 The list of available actions is shown in Table 2.2 (from the SAP Help Portal at Business Task Management
Advanced Configuration UWL Display). Removing Actions From the

Forward Forward

Manage Attachments Open Task Personalize View Revoke Claim Submit Memo View Detail in SAP GUI

For example, your organization may take the view that being able to launch a SAP GUI to see work item details or being able to personalize the layout of UWL, are actions that might confuse users who rarely use SAP and may lead to too many calls to the help desk. In this case, you would replace the standard UWL iView with your delta-linked copy
10,

Table 2.2 UWL Elements That Can Be Hidden with excludeActions

Which Details Are Shown The details shown for a work item in the preview area (and whether the preview area is shown at all) can also be configured by setting properties on the UWL iView. The UWL property List of preview sections to hide (excludePreviewSections) can take a comma-separated list of the following values: SUBJECT, ATTRIBUTES,

with the List of UWL Actions to

Creating a delta-linked copy of SAP standard content means that your iView will survive any future portal upgrades while inheriting any new properties that may be added in future releases. 10 See Section iView Properties for more details on creating a delta-linked UWL iView.

22 Galileo Press 2008. All rights reserved.

2.3

Changing the Basic Look of UWL

SUBJECT ATTRIBUTES NOTES

DESCRIPTION

ATTACHMENTS

USERDECISION ACTIONS
Figure 2.28 Which Parts of the UWL Item Details Are Hidden with Each excludePreviewSections Value

DESCRIPTION, ATTACHMENTS, NOTES11, USERDECISION,

blank and setting the Visualization Type to Object Not


Represented will hide the attachment completely (see

and/or ACTIONS. You can see in Figure 2.28 how these values correspond to the various parts of the work item details screen. Each attribute you add to the list will result in that part of the screen not being shown. You can control the other parts of the screen (Display
Details in SAP Gui, Attachments Manager, and Create Ad-Hoc Request) using the excludeActionList configu-

Figure 2.29). Any other visualization type means that the attachment will link to the specified application rather than the default method for that object, for example, to a Web Dynpro application that gives a summary of the requested absence.

ration in the previous section. In fact, the only item in the work item detail screen that cannot be hidden from view is the View History link. Attached Business Objects In the previous section, Which Details are Shown, you saw how to hide all attachments using the parameter
ATTACHMENTS for the UWL iView property excludeActionList. This section explains how to control attachFigure 2.29 Using SWFVISU to Hide FORMABSENC Object Attachments

Substitution This section looks at how to control end users access to the substitution functionality of UWL. Users can choose other people to fill in for them while they are on leave or ill; by choosing a substitute in this way, all of the original users tasks will appear in the substitutes worklist (as long as the substitute agrees to take on this responsibility). The original user accesses the screens for setting up substitution by selecting Manage Substitution Rules from the context menu of UWL (see Figure 2.30). If you dont want to let your users set up (or even view) substitutes in this way, you can hide the menu item by setting the UWL iView property Display substituted
user selector to No.

ment display in a more fine-grained manner from the back end, when the attachments relate to the display of business objects such as the FORMABSENC object (used as the basis of the Absence Notification workflow in the rest of this book). You can hide attached business objects in UWL work items or even replace the standard attachment call with your own application using the Object Visualization section of transaction SWFVISU. Leaving the Method Name
11 NOTES corresponds to the View Memos link. Memos are simply plain text attachments that have been created via the SAP Inbox as type RAW.

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Standard Universal Worklist Configuration

users will not be able to see if their rules were activated successfully or not. You might do this if you have a back end system that does not fully support substitution users might see a confusing error message even if there is nothing to worry about.
Figure 2.30 Context Menu Item for Managing Substitutes

For more fine-grained control over how your users perform substitutions, go to the UWL iView property category UWL Substitutions, which gives you four settings:
Disable Substitution Profiles

With this property set to the default of No, users can choose which types of task can be seen by their substitute (see Figure 2.31). When the property is set to Yes, users do not get this control, and their substitutes get all their tasks.

Figure 2.32 Options for UWL Substitutions Display

Debugging Information You can get some really useful debugging information by setting the UWL iView property Display UWL Support
Information (technical name displaySupport) to Yes.

2.4 How Work Items Are Launched


Up to this point, youve seen how to get UWL working
Figure 2.31 Substitution Profiles Shown in Dropdown Menu

with an SAP Business Workflow system and how to control what it looks like onscreen. Now its time to look at controlling what happens when a user clicks on one of the items in the worklist. When a user clicks on an item in UWL, an action handler is invoked to deal with that item. There is a whole range of possible action handlers (see Table 2.312), but here well only look at some of the more common options.

Disable Turn On/Off buttons

Setting this property to Yes will remove the buttons that allow a user to enable and disable each substitution rule (the column labeled 1 in Figure 2.32).
Display Create/Delete buttons

Setting this property to No will remove the Create Rule and Delete buttons (labeled 2 in Figure 2.32). This effectively removes users ability to set up substitutions but leaves them able to view existing ones.
Hide Rule Activation Column

Setting this property to Yes will hide the column Rule


Activation from view (labeled 3 in Figure 2.32) so that

12 This list is taken from the SAP Help Portal at Business Task Management Universal Worklist Configuration Advanced Configuration Task Launch Customization Action Handlers.

24 Galileo Press 2008. All rights reserved.

2.4 How Work Items Are Launched

Action Handler Name


IviewLauncher SAPAppLauncher SAPMiniAppLauncher SAPIACLauncher SAPWebDynproLauncher SAPWebDynproABAPLauncher SAPTransactionLauncher SAPBSPLauncher ObjectLinkLauncher ObjectNavigationLauncher UrlLauncher XhandlerLauncher TerminatingEventHandler FunctionModuleActionHandler UpdatingContainerHandler UserDecisionHandler PortalEventLauncher

Description Launches a portal iView or page Launches a portal iView based on a BSP, IAC, MiniApp, transaction, or Web Dynpro Launches an old-style SAP MiniApp (for ITS versions older than 6.40) Launches an ITS IAC or MiniApp Launches a Web Dynpro Java application Launches a Web Dynpro ABAP application Launches a SAP transaction using SAP GUI (HTML, Windows, or Java) Launches a BSP application Launches a BSP for the corresponding CRM object type Launches a portal iView or page for an ABAP business object Launches a web page Consults a back end SAP Business Workflow system for the handler to launch Runs a terminating event handler in a back end SAP Business Workflow system Runs a function module in a back end SAP Business Workflow system Writes data back to the workflow container in a back end SAP system Writes the users decision on a decision workflow item to a back end SAP system Fires a portal event

Table 2.3

Action Handlers and What They Do

SAP GUI Win, Web, or Java If you use the SAPTransactionLauncher action handler, a SAP GUI session will be launched and (if no specific
TransactionCode parameter is used) will behave in the

Configuring a GUI for All Item Types To configure UWL to launch a different GUI type for all items, you need to create a custom version of the UWL iView, UWL Launch SAP Transaction13 at pcd:portal_
content/every_user/general/uwl/com.sap.netweaver. bc.uwl.uwlSapLaunch. The quick-and-dirty way to do

same way as if the user had clicked on the item in the SAP Business Workplace (transaction SBWP). By default, the SAP GUI for HTML (Web GUI) is used for these transactions, but this is not always the most appropriate option (see Chapter 5 for a discussion of the issues to consider when choosing which version of SAP GUI to use). Therefore, you may need to deploy SAP GUI for Windows or SAP GUI for Java to your UWL users, and you will then want to configure UWL to launch a Windows or Java GUI. There are two alternatives here: you can configure UWL to launch a different GUI for all item types, or you can do it just for the individual item types you care about.

this is by making a simple change to the SAP-provided version of the iView, as shown in Figure 2.33: Change the
SAP GUI Type property to SAP GUI for Windows.

Of course, it can be dangerous to make changes to SAP-standard content because these changes are likely to be overwritten the next time a support package or upgrade is applied. A better way to make the customization is to create delta-linked copies of the UWL iViews shown previously to a new folder in a customer-specific space and make your changes to the copied version of the iView. That way, your changes will not be overwritten by
13 The complete path for this iView is Portal Content/Portal Users/Standard Portal Users/Universal Worklist/UWL Launch SAP Transaction.

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Standard Universal Worklist Configuration

Figure 2.33 Changing the GUI Type for All UWL Items

Figure 2.34 Changing the Folder Where the UWL iViews Live

an upgrade, but because of delta-linking, your iView will always be based on the latest version of the SAP iView in the original folder. If you do go down the route of creating delta-linked copies, you need to tell UWL to use your new folder for these iViews instead of the original folder. You can do this by navigating to System Administration System Configuration Universal Worklist & Workflow Universal Worklist - Administration and then clicking the icon to

Configuration. Click the Edit button, and then, as shown

in Figure 2.34, change the property Path to the UWL


iViews from portal_content/every_user/general/ uwl/ to the PCD URL of your customer-specific folder14

(dont forget the trailing /). Click Save to finish.

expand the section Optional Universal Worklist Service

14 You can get the PCD location of a folder by opening that folder as an object in the portal PCD editor (Content Administration Portal Content). The PCD location is the value of the PCD location property but without the pcd: at the front.

26 Galileo Press 2008. All rights reserved.

2.4 How Work Items Are Launched

Launching a Windows SAP GUI from UWL Bear in mind that the same system landscape entry in the portal is used both for fetching work items from the back end to the portal and also for launching SAP GUI task handlers for work items. In other words, the portal server must be able to access the SAP Business Workflow server in the same way as an end-users PC. This may not always be easy; for example, it is quite common for SAP GUI users to access the back end server via a SAProuter connection for security reasons, but the portal may be configured for a direct connection. The solution is to configure the SAProuter instance to allow two routes through to the back end: one from the portal server and one from the network where your users SAP GUI sessions are running and then create a system landscape entry of type SAP system using connection string for UWL use.

Configuring a GUI for Specific Item Types The default SAP GUI for HTML may be fine for most of your users, but it may be that for one specific type of work item, a SAP GUI for Windows is required. You can configure an individual work item type to launch a Windows GUI-based handler by creating an XML file like the one in Listing 2.2, replacing TS00008267 with the code for the task type you are interested in. If you dont know the task type, then run transaction SWDD, open the workflow, and double-click on the relevant node to find out; alternatively, ask your local workflow consultant. You can configure a different GUI by changing the value of the property GuiType to WinGui or JavaGui, according to the type of GUI you want to launch for that task. The XML file should then be uploaded into the portal as described in XML Configuration in Section 2.2. Nonportal URLs The UrlLauncher action handler can be useful when you want to write a work item handler in some web technology otherwise unsupported by UWL, for example, a PHP

Note that the SAProuter instance must be accessible using the same host name from both your client network and your SAP server network.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>

<!DOCTYPE UWLConfiguration PUBLIC '- //SAP//UWL1.0//EN' 'uwl_configuration.dtd'> <UWLConfiguration version="1.0"> <ItemTypes> <ItemType name="uwl.task.webflow.TS00008267" connector="WebFlowConnector" defaultView="DefaultView" defaultAction="launchSAPAction" executionMode="default"> <ItemTypeCriteria externalType="TS00008267" connector="WebFlowConnector"/> <Actions> <Action name="launchSAPAction" handler="SAPTransactionLauncher"> <Properties> <Property name="GuiType" value="WinGui"/> </Properties> </Action> </Actions> </ItemType> </ItemTypes> </UWLConfiguration>
Listing 2.2 UWL XML Configuration File to Launch TS00008267 (Generic Decision) Tasks Using SAP GUI for Windows (WinGui)

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Standard Universal Worklist Configuration

script.15 For example, suppose you have a simple PHP script, showWorkitemId.php, which reports the work item ID that is passed to it as the parameter wi_id ing 2.3).
<html> <head><title>PHP iView</title></head> <body> The workitem ID is <?php echo $_GET['wi_id'] ?>. </body> </html>
Listing 2.3 Simple PHP Script to Show the Work Item ID
16

An alternative to the XML configuration shown in Listing 2.4 is to use the configuration in the SAP Business Workflow system. After doing a one-off configuration in transaction WF_HANDCUST, you need to run transaction WF_EXTSRV to specify a Web Service, generate a matching task, and re-register the system in the UWL administration page. The advantage of doing it this way is automatic generation of container elements for each parameter, making it simpler to pass URL parameters back and forth to a parent workflow and giving a standard approach to launch/callback from the URL. More details on this approach are in the SAP Help Portal at SAP Business Workflow
ence Documentation Workflow Builder Services. ReferUsing Web

(see List-

The XML configuration fragment shown in Listing 2.4 shows a button labeled PHP_Handler onscreen, which launches the PHP script in a new window when a user clicks on it. The PHP script is launched in a new browser window.
<ItemType name="uwl.task.webflow.TS00008267" connector="WebFlowConnector" defaultView="DefaultView" defaultAction="PHP_Handler" executionMode="default"> <ItemTypeCriteria externalType="TS00008267" connector="WebFlowConnector"/> <Actions> <Action name="PHP_Handler" handler="UrlLauncher"> <Properties> <Property name="url" value="http://phpserver.company.com/ ShowWorkitemId.php"/> <Property name="wi_id" value="${item.externalId}"/> </Properties> </Action> </Actions> </ItemType>
Listing 2.4 XML Configuration to Launch PHP Script

Portal iViews and Pages You can trigger any iView or page in the portal to be launched when a user clicks on a work item in UWL. This is useful if the information needed to process a work item comes from several sources; these can be shown as iViews within a page alongside the iView, which allows the user to complete the work item. This dashboard page can then be launched when the user clicks on the relevant work item. The Problem with URL iViews Although it is theoretically possible to launch URL iViews from UWL, in practice its not really worthwhile. The problem is that all the useful information that the UWL normally passes as parameters (such as the work item ID) are ignored; URL iViews ignore any parameters passed to them apart from those explicitly configured in the iView definition (see iViews Creating iViews Creating Web-based URL iViews for

details on setting up URL iViews). In other words, its impossible for a URL iView launched from UWL to know anything useful about the item being launched.

15 See The SAP Developers Guide to PHP (SAP PRESS Essentials, 2006) for more details on using PHP with SAP. 16 A more complex script could, for example, call the SAP function module SAP_WAPI_GET_WORKITEM_DETAIL to get more details about the work item.

28 Galileo Press 2008. All rights reserved.

2.4 How Work Items Are Launched

If you need to launch a URL iView, then you should instead consider either using the UrlLauncher action handler (see Nonportal URLs in Section 2.4) or creating a custom iView using the portals Application Integrator (see Portal Development Manual
Application Integrator Core

Now, when the user clicks on a decision work item, the page is launched, and the parameters shown in Table 2.4 are passed to it.
Parameter
wi_id destination

Description Work item ID in the provider system System alias in the portal system landscape of the provider system Internal UWL item ID Provider task item type Back end user ID for webflow connector, alert connector, and generic ABAP connector, otherwise, portal user ID User language in uppercase ISO language code

Development Tasks Connecting to Backend Systems Component com.sap.portal.appintegrator.sap.Generic in the SAP Help Portal).

item_id

To configure UWL to launch a portal page for a generic decision task TS00008267, modify the XML configuration file for the item type as shown in Listing 2.5. The handler attribute for the action is set to IViewLauncher, and a single property iView is set to the PCD

task uname

langu

URL of the page.17


17 The PCD URL is the value of the PCD Location property in the Information section of the pages property editor. <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>

Table 2.4 Parameters Passed by Default to IViewLauncher iViews and Pages

<!DOCTYPE UWLConfiguration PUBLIC '- //SAP//UWL1.0//EN' 'uwl_configuration.dtd'> <UWLConfiguration version="1.0"> <ItemTypes> <ItemType name="uwl.task.webflow.decision.TS00008267" connector="WebFlowConnector" defaultView="DefaultView" defaultAction="launchiViewAction" executionMode="default"> <ItemTypeCriteria systemId="WFD" externalType="TS00008267" connector="WebFlowConnector"/> <Actions> <Action name="launchiViewAction" handler="IViewLauncher" launchInNewWindow ="yes"> <Properties> <Property name="iview" value="pcd:portal_content/UWL_Book/Decision_Dashboard"/> </Properties> <Descriptions default=""/> </Action> </Actions> </ItemType> </ItemTypes> </UWLConfiguration>
Listing 2.5 XML Configuration to Launch Portal Page

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Standard Universal Worklist Configuration

iView/page launching is also an option that you can configure in the back end SAP Business Workflow system, using transaction SWFVISU. You need to do this in two parts:
1. First, select the Task Visualization element, and create

Java18, but the principles are the same for Web Dynpro ABAP. Just like for launching an iView (as you saw in Portal iViews and Pages in Section 2.4), transaction SWFVISU in the SAP Business Workflow back end can also be used to get UWL to launch a Web Dynpro. Instead of choosing
Visualization type iView, choose Java WebDynpro; and

a new entry, entering the task type code and selecting the type iView for the Visualization Type, as shown in Figure 2.35.

instead of setting the ID parameter to the PCD URL, set the parameters shown in Table 2.5.
Parameter
PACKAGE APPLICATION

Description Set this to the namespace and project. Set this to the application name within the project. The alias of the portal system landscape entry describes the system that the Web Dynpro is deployed to. The alias SAP_LocalSystem refers to the portal where UWL is running.

SYSTEM_ALIAS

Figure 2.35

Creating a Task Entry in transaction SWFVISU

Table 2.5 SWFVISU Settings for Web Dynpro Applications

2. Next, you need to define the iView to be called. Select

You can see this in action in the pair of screens shown in Figure 2.37 and Figure 2.38. The example shows a local Web Dynpro project UWLbook with an application
ShowWorkitemId, which is deployed to run on the por-

the subelement Visualization Parameter, select the table entry for the task you just created, and then right-click and select the option Choose Subdialog. This opens a screen like the one shown in Figure 2.36, where you should create an entry with the parameter set to ID and the value set to the PCD URL of the iView to launch for that task type.

tal. The corresponding SWFVISU parameter values are listed here:


APPLICATION: ShowWorkitemId PACKAGE: local/UWLbook SYSTEM_ALIAS: SAP_LocalSystem

Figure 2.36

Define the iView for this Task Entry

3. After making the settings in transaction SWFVISU, you

need to re-register this system for UWL (see Registering Item Types in Section 2.1). Web Dynpro Applications One of the more useful (and yet complex) ways of customizing UWL is to launch Web Dynpro applications to handle work items because it is very easy to produce professional-looking user-friendly web-enabled transactions in Web Dynpro. Right now, well focus on Web Dynpro
18 Here we look only at how to launch a Web Dynpro application. Section 3.2 shows how to construct a Web Dynpro application that will work with UWL and SAP Business Workflow.
Figure 2.37 A Sample Web Dynpro Project in the SAP NetWeaver Development Studio

30 Galileo Press 2008. All rights reserved.

2.5

Summary

<ItemType name="uwl.task.webflow.TS00008267" connector="WebFlowConnector" defaultView="DefaultView" defaultAction="launchWebDynPro" executionMode="default"> <ItemTypeCriteria externalType="TS00008267" connector="WebFlowConnector"/> <Actions> <Action name="launchWebDynPro" handler="SAPWebDynproLauncher"> <Properties> <Property name="WebDynproApplication" value="ShowWorkitemId"/> <Property name="WebDynproDeployableObject" value="local/UWLbook"/> <Property name="System" value="SAP_LocalSystem"/> </Properties> </Action> </Actions> </ItemType>
Listing 2.6 XML Configuration for Launching a Web Dynpro Application

how to use Web Dynpro to build a work item handler for a BlackBerry handheld device.

2.5 Summary
This chapter has shown you how to connect your portal
Figure 2.38 SWFVISU Settings for a Web Dynpro Project

to a SAP Business Workflow system with UWL. Youve seen how easy it is to customize some of the look-andfeel options, removing any buttons or columns that might otherwise distract your users. Youve also learned how to get UWL to launch the GUI, URL, iView, or Web Dynpro of your choice when a user clicks on a work item. In other words, if you came in knowing nothing about setting up UWL, you now know most of what you need to use on most projects, and you also have the foundation skills necessary to tackle the rest of the book.

Of course, there is also an XML configuration equivalent for this, shown in Listing 2.6. The property names are changed a little in the XML file, so that APPLICATION becomes WebDynproApplication, PACKAGE becomes WebDynproDeployableObject,

and SYSTEM_ALIAS becomes System. Web Dynpro work item handlers will be shown in more detail in Section 3.3.1, and in Section 6.2, youll see

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Index
A
AbsenceBean 63 Action 22, 80, 88 Action handler 24, 39 Function Module 41 Terminating Event 40 Updating Container 41 User Decision 39 Web Dynpro 45 Action item 71 Active Directory 126 Ad Hoc workflow 11, 69 Alert 15 Alias 99 Anonymous responses 73 Approval 71 Approval callable object 81 Approval workflow 75 approval.jsp 64 ApproveAbsenceView 51, 53 Attachment 23, 70 Attribute Business Object Repository 34 Container 36 Standard 33 UME 34, 36 Workflow container 34 Authentication 55, 124 Authorization 14, 15 Business Process Modeling Language see BPML

E
Email 94, 116, 117, 118, 125 Notification 118 Template 82 Enterprise SOA 113 Evaluation software 127 Execution mode 107 executionUrl 98 Extensible Markup Language External Service 81 see XML

C
Cache 18, 36, 107 Callable object 80, 86 Central User Administration 105 Certificate 135 Chained execution 110 Client 129 Client copy 129 Collaboration 74, 79 Collaboration task 104 Column 19 Comment Work item 39 Component Controller 48, 52, 53 Composite application 83 Configuration group 105 confirmation.jsp 65 Connection error 106 Connection pool 107 Consolidate parameters 89 Consolidate roles 90 Context mapping 47, 48 Context parameter 81, 82, 91 createConfirmQuestion 52, 65 Custom attribute 33, 98 XML configuration 37

F
Feedback 75 File download 110 File upload 110 FORMABSENC 80, 84, 86, 87, 95 Function module RPY_EXISTENCE_CHECK_CLAS 108 SAP_WAPI 124 SAP_WAPI_CREATE_EVENT 42, 109 SAP_WAPI_DECISION_READ 39 SAP_WAPI_GET_HEADER 109 SAP_WAPI_GET_OBJECTS 47, 109 SAP_WAPI_GET_WORKITEM_DETAIL 47 SAP_WAPI_READ_CONTAINER 34, 109 SAP_WAPI_SET_WORKITEM_ COMPLETD 109 SAP_WAPI_SUBSITUT* 109 SAP_WAPI_SUBSTITUTES_GET 108 SAP_WAPI_WORKITEM_COMPLETE 47 SAP_WAPI_WORKITEM_CONFIRM 109 SAP_WAPI_WORKITEM_ DESCRIPTION 47, 109 SAP_WAPI_WRITE_CONTAINER 109 SWF_DEMO_FORMABS_CREATE 85, 87, 89, 91, 95 SWF_VMD_METADATA_GET_ALL 108 SWK_DEMO_FORMABS_PROC_ WRITE 47 SWK_DEMO_FORMABS_READ 47 SWLWP_COMP_GET_LH_URL 108 SWN_UWL_GET_WORKLIST 108

B
Background job 105 Bean 58 BlackBerry 114, 126 Device Simulator 115 Email Service Simulator 115 Mobile Data Service Simulator 115 RIM 114 Block 80 BPEL4People 114 BPML 114 Bugzilla 96, 98 Business logic 81, 87 Business object 23, 72 Business Object Repository 33 Business process 70, 71, 79 Business process expert 72

D
Data input form 81 Date format 19 Debugging 24, 56, 91, 103 Delta link 22, 25, 106 Delta pull mechanism 104 Refresh period 105 Deploy 66, 99 Design Time Gallery 81, 88, 91 Development Component 58 doInitialization 60 doProcessBeforeOutput 63 DTMF 123 Duet 124

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149

Index

SWN_UWL_SERVER_TYPE_DATA_GET 108 USER_NAME_GET 108 UWL_ASSIGN_USER_CHANNEL 109 UWL_CREATE_SERVICE_USER 105, 108 UWL_DETECT_BWF_DELTA_JOB 108 UWL_GET_ITEMS_PROXY 108 UWL_SWO_INVOKE 109

K
Knowledge Management 11

Performance tuning 104 Permission 14, 70, 76 Personalize tasks 36 Pessimistic execution mode 107 PHP 28 POP3 116 POP3 server 115 Portal application 58 Portal component 95 Portal System Landscape 97 Position 133 Prerequisite 14 Priority 17 Process flow 91 Process information 94 processAbsence 54, 65 Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) 123 Publishing workflow 74

L
License key 129 Limitation 101 Log 102 Log Configurator 104 Log file 102 Log Viewer 102, 104 Logging category 104 Logging location 104 Login module 121

G
getFormDetails 62 getFormId 62 getItemDetails 48, 61 getItems 97 getUrl 99 getUserId 97 getWorkitemDescription 62 getWorkitemDetail 62 Guided Procedures 72, 79, 114, 123, 126, 127 GuidedProceduresConnector 96

M
Mercury Mail Transport System 116 Merge ID 106 Merge Priority 106 Microsoft 110, 124 Microsoft Office 126 Microsoft Outlook 96, 125 Multistep task 70

Q
Quick Response Option 73

H
HTML 82 HTMLB 57 HTTP/S 13

N
Navigation 21, 102 Navigation node 18 Notification 75

R
Radio button 43 RAR file 128 Registration 15 Remote Function Call Report RHSOBJCH 131 SWN_SELSEN 118 Request for Feedback 73 Request for Nomination 74 Research in Motion 115 Result state 87 result.jsp 66 RFC 80, 101 RFC callable object 84 Role 16, 21, 81, 105, 107 Role consolidation 91 RSS 96 RSWNUWLSEL 105 Runtime view 91 see RFC

I
Inbox 110, 125 Instance parameter 128 isLauncher 99 Item display 98 ITS 12, 13 iView 17, 21, 22, 25, 28, 66, 80, 101, 106 IViewLauncher 29

O
onActionApproveClicked 52 onActionOKClicked 54 onActionRejectClicked 52 onClickApprove 64 onClickOK 65 onClickReject 64 Optimistic execution mode 107 Organizational plan 132

J
Java 96, 102, 104, 110, 114, 115, 124, 127, 134 Java Connector Architecture Java iView 57 JavaGUI 110 JCA 59 JCo 56 JSPDynPage 57 see JCA

P
Page 28 PAR 66 PAR upload 99 Parameter consolidation 89 Parameter group 89 performAction 99 Performance 101

S
SAP Community Network 80, 127 SAP CRM 114, 121 SAP ERP 91

150 Galileo Press 2008. All rights reserved.

Index

SAP ERP HCM 80 SAP GUI 25, 27, 109, 127 SAP GUI for HTML 12, 13, 110 SAP GUI for Java 110 SAP GUI for Windows 111 SAP NetWeaver 7.0 Trial Version 11, 127 SAP NetWeaver Administrator 102 SAP NetWeaver Application Server ABAP 127 SAP NetWeaver Application Server Java 134 SAP NetWeaver Composition Environment 123 SAP NetWeaver Developer Studio 115, 134 SAP NetWeaver Process Integration 114 SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer 123 SAP NetWeaver Voice 123 SAP office 96 SAP SRM 125 SAP system 11, 12 Application server 12 Message server 12 SAProuter 13, 27, 111 Security 70 Service-oriented architecture 79 Simple Mail Transfer Protocol SMTP Simple process 89 Single instantiation 93 Single Sign-on 15, 84, 114, 120, 134 SMTP 115, 116, 117 SOAP 113 Sorting 19 Standalone task 69 Substitution 23 Sun 110 Support information 101 System 107 System alias 13, 14, 95 System configuration group 106 System landscape 11, 99, 111 System profile 128 see

T
Task 34, 35 Task type 102 Telephone 123 Testing 92 Third-party connector 114 Third-party workflow 96 Touch-tone 123 Transaction OOCU 133 PFTC_DIS 34 PPOC 132 RZ10 128, 135 SA38 105 SBWP 134 SCC4 130 SCCL 130 SCOT 117 SE37 34, 108, 109, 139 SE38 105, 118, 131 SLICENSE 129 SPRO 133 STRUSTSSO2 135 SU01 105, 130, 132 SUGR 130 SWDD 118, 134 SWFVISU 15, 17, 23, 30, 56, 67, 108 SWK1 109 SWNADMIN 118 SWO1 34 SWU3 15, 131 SWXF 67, 119, 134 WF_EXTSRV 28 WF_HANDCUST 28 Troubleshooting 101

User Management 86 User Management Engine User Selection 76 UWL Administration 106 UWL API 96 UWL custom connector 96 see UME

V
Verify 135 View 36, 48 Visual Administrator 104 Visual approval 82 Voice 123, 126 VoiceXML 123 VoIP 123 Voxeo Prophecy 124

W
Web Dynpro 12, 13, 23, 30, 80, 114, 117, 118, 127 Context 47 Interface Controller 47 Web Services Description Language WSDL WebGUI 110 Windows 111 Wireless Markup Language Wizard 18 WML 114 Work item Comments 39 Workflow agent 33 Workflow container 34 Workflow verification 16 Workflow-related task 72 WSDL 95, 113 see WML see

U
UDDI 113 UME 33, 80 Universal Description, Discovery, and Integration URL iView 28 User 101 User Decision Handler 110 see UDDI

X
XML CCXML 124 Configuration 98 XML configuration 17, 28, 101

www.sap-press.com 151

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